Forbidden Mate: Holland Brothers, Book 4

Finding his mate should have been Patrick Holland's greatest day. Instead, it turned into a nightmare with one phone call. His mate didn't want him. His heart broke. But at 16 he was too young to do anything. The next 10 years - 10 long years - of Patrick's life are spent at odds with his mate. Split by forces he can't comprehend and a long line of misunderstandings, Patrick doubts he'll ever get the man he's both loved and hated. They say time heals all wounds, but how much time?

Half Moon Rising

After more than a decade, Troy Bishop is going home to the family he left behind when his parents died. Little does Troy know, he's about to get a lot more than he bargained for. Sawyer Quinton has been waiting for his mate for as long as he can remember and was beginning to think he'd never find him. Until Troy Bishop walked back onto the Reservation. The attraction is immediate for both men, but one is hiding a secret and the other must finally open is heart.

Lay It Down

Most people would say being stranded in the villa of Spanish shipping magnate Miguel García Arquero on the beautiful isle of Ibiza wasn't such a bad deal. But Hudson Barber isn't one of them. To him, being stuck without a passport in a foreign country far from home is a nightmare, made worse by the fact that the person who did the stranding was his flighty twin brother.

Tams (TTC Books and more) says:"Well written story - Narration - not so much"

Chevalier

Fireman Mason James thought finding out he is a Romanus - a rare class of gargoyle - would be the surprise of a lifetime, but he's proven wrong when he discovers he is the son of a comte and goji nobility. But his newly discovered family doesn't think his gargoyle lover, Luc, is good enough for a goji of Mason's stature - how could a warrior ever be? But despite the Moreaus' uncertainty and elitism, they are Mason's only chance to unravel the mystery behind his mother's death.

Tournament of Losers

All Rath wants is a quiet, peaceful life. Unfortunately, his father brings him too much trouble - and too many debts to pay - for that to ever be possible. When the local crime lord drags Rath out of bed and tells him he has three days to pay his father's latest debt, Rath doesn't know what to do. There's no way to come up with so much money in so little time. Then a friend poses an idea just ridiculous enough to work: enter the Tournament of Losers, where every 75 years, peasants compete for the chance to marry into the noble and royal houses.

Old Loyalty, New Love

When jackal shifter Quade Danas was banished from his pack for being gay, he spent years in the military escaping his father's prejudice before returning to civilian life as a bodyguard for Roman Howell, the teenage son of a very rich man. After Roman is in an accident that leaves him physically scarred and emotionally distant, Quade is the only one who can get through to him. As Roman becomes a man, he realizes what he wants - his bodyguard by his side and in his bed.

Tams (TTC Books and more) says:"Fantastic start to a new Shifter series!"

Mad Lizard Mambo: The Kai Gracen Series, Book 2

Licensed Stalkers make their living hunting down monsters and dangerous criminals, and their lives are usually brief, brutal, and thankless. Despite being elfin and cursed with a nearly immortal lifespan, Kai didn't expect to be any different. Then Ryder, the High Lord of the Southern Rise Court, arrived in San Diego, and Kai's not-so-mundane life went from mild mayhem to full-throttle chaos.

Soul Mate for Sale

Omegas were hard to come by worldwide. While I would have preferred to mate for love, it didn't seem that it was in the cards for me. I had taken over as pack Alpha five years earlier, and it was high time that I started adding to the pack population. Less even than a marriage of convenience, purchasing an Omega at the auction was more of a long-term service contract, a means to an end, so what was an Alpha to do when he found his soul mate on the auction block?

Whiskers of a Chance

Jason Grant runs his own IT business from home, owns his own home, and has the best friend he could imagine. What he doesn't have, or believe he will ever have, is love. When Jason catches a glimpse of his new neighbor on moving day, his libido ignites and his fascination in piqued. He even manages to concoct an excuse to go over and meet the man who makes him hope and want for more than he has in years.

Wolfsong

Ox was 23 when murder came to town and tore a hole in his head and heart. The boy chased after the monster with revenge in his blood red eyes, leaving Ox behind to pick up the pieces. It's been three years since that fateful day and the boy is back. Except now he's a man, and Ox can no longer ignore the song that howls between them.

Drawn Together

Rory's just a simple southern boy from St. Antoine's Parish, Louisiana, but he knows what he wants - the girl of his dreams, reclusive and mysterious artist Ran Yamane. He's loved her since junior high school, and now he has the chance to meet her. He chucks everything and travels 1,500 miles to Anime Expo in Long Beach just so he can tell her. He's determined that nothing and nobody are going to stand in his way. Turns out, Ran Yamane isn't a girl, but he gets that a lot.

Acrobat

Forty-five-year-old English professor Nathan Qells is very good at making people feel important. What he's not very good at is sticking around afterward. He's a nice guy; he just doesn't feel things the way other people do. So even after all the time he's spent taking care of Michael, the kid across the hall, he doesn't realize that Michael's mob muscle uncle and guardian, Andreo Fiore, has slowly been falling in love with him. Dreo has bigger problems than getting Nate to see him as a potential partner.

Forging the Future: Change of Heart

Jin Church is back where he started, alone, wandering, and uncertain of his path. It's not by choice but by circumstance, as he remembers he's a werepanther...but not much else. He knows one thing for sure - he needs to find the beautiful blond man who haunts his dreams.

All Kinds of Tied Down: Marshals (Book 1)

Deputy US Marshal Miro Jones has a reputation for being calm and collected under fire. These traits serve him well with his hotshot partner, Ian Doyle, the kind of guy who can start a fight in an empty room. In the past three years of their life-and-death job, they've gone from strangers to professional coworkers to devoted teammates and best friends. Miro’s cultivated blind faith in the man who has his back… faith and something more.

By the Light of the Moon

Dakota Cadotte is on the run and alone. Forced out from his pack by the Alpha for being gay, Dakota fends for himself in the Denali wilderness. When he ventures too far away from his safe zone, he's put right in the path of a truck on the highway and right into the arms of Sam Waters. The two hit it off immediately as man and wolf, but Dakota fears Sam won't be so understanding when he sees what he truly is. When Dakota shifts in front of Sam, the sparks fly, but Dakota's past and pack threaten their relationship.

Fish Stick Fridays

Deacon Reid was born bad to the bone with no intention of changing. A lifetime of law-bending and living on the edge suits him just fine, until his baby sister dies and he finds himself raising her little girl. Staring down a family history of bad decisions and reaped consequences, Deacon cashes in everything he owns, purchases an auto shop in Half Moon Bay, and takes his niece, Zig, far away from the drug dens and murderous streets they grew up on.

Hexbreaker: Hexworld, Book 1

New York copper Tom Halloran is a man with a past. If anyone finds out he once ran with the notorious O'Connell tunnel gang, he'll spend the rest of his life doing hard time behind bars. But Tom's secret is threatened when a horrible murder on his beat seems to have been caused by the same ancient magic that killed his gang. Cat shifter Cicero is determined to investigate the disappearance of one friend and the death of another, even though no one else believes the cases are connected.

The Distance: The Firsts & Forever Series, Book 11

Twenty-four-year-old Jessie thinks he has fellow street racer Kai all figured out. The tall, dark-haired Hawaiian might be gorgeous, but he's also arrogant, angry, and a total menace when he gets behind the wheel. So why does an argument with Kai lead to the hottest sex of Jessie's life?

Red River: Pack Collection, Book 2

Commitment, loyalty, and strength aren't enough to make Wesley Stone's birth pack accept an Alpha with a physical imperfection, even if it's a meaningless mark. Putting the safety of his pack above his own wellbeing, Wesley trades himself for another Alpha and agrees to mate with a stranger in a mysterious, insular pack. Alphas from Jobe Root's family have led the Red River pack from the first day shifters walked the earth. Now the time has come for Jobe to fulfill his destiny, but to do that, he needs his mate by his side.

Counterpoint: Song of the Fallen, Book 1

Ayden's life has long been guided by two emotions: love for his sister, and hatred of all things human. When he's captured in battle, he is enslaved in the service of a human prince, Freyrik Farr. Freyrik's always known elves to be beautiful and dangerous, but never has one affected him as deeply as Ayden. Teetering on a dagger's edge between duty and high treason, Freyrik discovers that some choices can change a life, and some an entire world.

After the Sunset

Two years after riding off into the sunset with ranch owner Rand Holloway, Stefan Joss has made a tentative peace with his new life, teaching at a community college. But the course of true love never does run smooth. Rand wants him home on the ranch; Stef wants an exit strategy in case Rand ever decides to throw him out. Finally, after recognizing how unfair he's being, Stef makes a commitment, and Rand is over the moon.

Family of Lies: Sebastian

Sebastian Orwell did the only thing a smart wizard could do when he stumbled upon the wounded Crown Prince: He healed him and dumped him in a tavern where he could continue not being Sebastian's problem. Unfortunately, the prince isn't content with being alive, and he hunts Sebastian down to thank him personally. Not only is Sebastian stuck with the prince's unwanted affections, but he's also confronted by growing evidence linking the assassination attempt to someone from his father's past.

Professional Distance: Thorne and Dash, Book 1

Thornwell Shipton is wealthy, uptight, closeted, and an incurable workaholic. A tragic love affair left him terrified of relationships, so he tells himself sex is better scheduled and paid for. Riley Dashwood is young, easy-going, and comfortable in his own skin. He's a passionate baker and an aspiring chef, working as an escort to save up for culinary school. When Thorne hires Dash, it's lust at first sight. After a few scorching nights together, both men start to wonder if what's between them is more than physical.

Mine

Trevan Bean has a job that's going from illegal to frightening, a boyfriend who may not be in his right mind, and a guardian angel who might actually be evil incarnate. Add to that the reappearance of his boyfriend's estranged family, death threats, kidnapping, and the struggle of saving money to realize a dream, and Trevan has a lot on his plate. But Trevan is up to the challenge: he promised Landry a happily ever after, and Landry's going to have it if it kills him! It just might.

Publisher's Summary

Jude Shea's life is turned upside down when he rescues a dog he names Joe. Even though Jude has enough trouble taking care of himself—he doesn't even have a job—he can't resist the animal that needs him. Then one night, a man shows up on his doorstep looking to claim Jude's new companion. As they run from a surprise attack, Jude finds out that "Joe" is not what he seems.

Eoin Thral is a guardian from an alternate dimension, and once he leads Jude through the veil that separates their worlds, he transforms into a handsome hulk of a man known for his fighting skills, not the capacity for love. Jude finds himself immersed in Eoin’s world, and he's faced with the fight of his life to secure a happy future for them both.

I love Mary Calmes. I have listened to a few of her audio books and am always pleased. She is a wonderful writer and this story is no exception. I didn't want it to end. The descriptions were so vivid that I could feel the cold night air once they passed through the veil. Wonderful listen.

Not my favorite Mary Calmes book although I did like it a lot. Her series Matter of Time is an absolute pleasure to read, and I find myself thinking of lines throughout my work day. I cannot seem to get through a day without Change of Heart (not so much Trusted Bond the sequel). I would definitely recommend The Servant. And don't even get me started gushing about Timing! In comparison to all of these other books, The Guardian was just sort of 'meh' for me. As someone else pointed out Jude. Is. Perfect! And we get told this over and over and over and over until really it becomes a little annoying. Once you get past the perfection and absolutely stunning gorgeousness that is Jude, the heart of the story is really lovely. I am completely in love with the sexy, strong alpha males that Mary Calmes writes, Eoin (should be pronounced Owen btw not Eh-oh-in as the reader does, but that's forgivable) is no exception. There are funny moments and moments in this book where my heart hurt for Jude. All in all a pretty good book. Just, not the best. If you really want a similar (though WAY better) book by Calmes to read, I recommend definitely getting your hands on The Servant. That's where she hits, where The Guardian misses.

I am a huge fan of both Sean Crisden and Mary Calmes, but this wasn't my favorite book of theirs. It was amazing up until they were separated, and then it lost some of my attention. Although I like this genre more and the story was very unique and well-written, I think the characters in Acrobat were more likable and believable. Despite that, it was still very good. Sean Crisden was fantastic as always.

I'll admit that I disliked the way the point of view kept changing and that Jude felt like a Mary Sue, but the story itself had potential.

I was disappointed.

JUST as the story begins to build and the adventure REALLY kicks off, Calmes takes a totally different route. It felt like she was giving up on the story. Jude returns home, you don't see any of the adventure the plot had been building up to, you get very little info about how everything resolves and the story just sort of cops out and ends. Happily ever after.

A story is supposed to have a beginning, a middle, and an end. This story had a beginning, no middle, and a weak ending.

Jude was too perfect, the love interest felt unrealistic, and the way the plot just sort of quit was such a let down.

I like the ideas and characters Mary Calmes comes up with for her books (her "Matter of Time" series is a guilty pleasure of mine), but I just wish she'd tone down the 'gushing'. In this story almost every time her main character Jude meets a new character, the point of view would switch so that the new character could gush about how wonderful, gorgeous perfect etc, Jude is. I think I strained my eyes from all the eye rolling I was doing every time I had to again hear about Jude's perfection. As for the narrator... I think he'd be better off doing voice over work for cartoons. He's lack of range (two believable voices seems to be his limit) is doing this story no favours.

It's a good story. Jude is a sweet with a horrible ex and coworker. He's also hot (which the book reminds you at ever turn); and he has no idea even though he's told every two minutes. Along the way he meets "Joe"; which starts off a crazy adventure of epic proportions. It's a good listen and some parts of the book drags, but over all a good red.

I pretty much always enjoy Mary Calmes writing voice. This story has a very "school girl fantasy" element to is - what with the shifter element and the "fated for you" element. It was quick and fun and I enjoyed the trip. I've listened to it 2, maybe 3 times since I bought it. Love the intriguing sort of hint at the end that this supernatural world might be linked to the mundane world of the Matter of Time series.

It was a little corny and a little predictable but still the rich and well fleshed out writing of Mary Calmes. Well worth a credit in my estimation.